Thicker Than Blood
by T'Be
Summary: Malcolm has good reason to fear the water. But with support from Trip, he might just overcome it. Very mild slash.


Title: Thicker than Blood

Author: Charlene ()

Pairing: T/R

Rating: PG

Challenge: Drown Malcolm

Disclaimer: Enterprise and its crew belong to Paramount. I'm merely a fan borrowing their characters, making no money, and just wishing they never made the episode "These Are The Voyages"

Spoilers: mild for "Two Days and Two Nights", "Shuttlepod One", and "Minefield"

Thanks to Kerstin for helping me to see areas that needed improvement. And thanks to Mali for encouraging me. Any remaining errors are mine.

A/N: Malcolm's experience with his father actually happened to me. Except my father made it a little worse. Knowing how much I liked Star Trek he said to me "To quote Jim Kirk 'I lied'" (referencing Star Trek III).

* * *

Trip and Malcolm beamed down to Avilar IV for R&R. The temperature was as warm as Risa, but this planet was not entirely designed for recreation. Their hotel was located in the tourist section of the capital city Mider. As they walked towards their hotel Trip smiled at Malcolm.

"This shore leave, we are not getting tied up in our underwear, is that clear?"

Malcolm smiled back at him. "I don't know why I've even agreed to go with you. You're a magnet for disaster."

Despite his words, Malcolm knew exactly why he was going. He was fond of Trip and had found himself becoming more attracted to him all the time. Since he knew that he would never do anything to let Trip know, he valued every chance to be with Trip, even if they did fight every now and then.

Tucker laughed. "This from the man who was pinned to the ship by a mine!"

Malcolm suppressed a groan. It was an instance he didn't want to remember. He had been so sure that he would never make it back to Enterprise alive. Sometimes he could still feel the rush as he disconnected his oxygen supply in a futile attempt to force Archer to abandon him in order to save the ship. Pushing those memories aside, Reed shrugged. "Okay. Between the two of us, we always seem to have some troubles."

"But not this time!" Trip said adamantly.

They checked into the hotel, getting adjoining rooms and headed to them. The two separated towards their respective rooms and unpacked. When Malcolm was done he knocked on Trip's door. Trip let him in.

"I'm almost done here," Trip told Malcolm, returning towards his brightly colored shirts.

"Not those bloody shirts!" Malcolm exclaimed. For some reason he hated those shirts. Maybe it was because they reminded him of Trip wearing them before they even got to Risa; talking about the women he was going to hook up with. Just thinking about Trip getting together with someone else made him feel jealous. Of course, Trip would never know that. No, Malcolm would go along with Trip and pretend to be checking out the women when all the time his eyes would only be for Trip.

The engineer just smiled. As he hung them up in the closet he asked, "So what do you want to do first?"

Malcolm hesitated. There was a war museum that he'd love to check out, but he knew Trip wouldn't be interested in that. And he didn't want to go to a bar and watch Trip go home with a woman. Although, he realized, that would probably end up happening sooner or later on this leave. He was just going to have to face it.

Trip took his silence as an opportunity to express his own desires. "Well, I know what I'd like to do. I know you wouldn't want to, but I really want to go scuba diving. The underwater reefs are famous around here. I know you don't like water, but maybe you could stay at the beach, and then…" He broke off. "Sorry, I'm rambling. I was also thinking that tomorrow we could go to the war museum in town.

For a moment Malcolm was startled. How did Trip know he was afraid of the water? Then he remembered he had shared his secret with Trip while they were on the shuttle thinking they were going to die and that the Enterprise was already destroyed. It had slipped out when Trip had been raving about how much he enjoyed swimming in the ocean and how he wished they could have a pool on Enterprise. Malcolm had told him how, despite the Royal Navy household he grew up in, he was uncomfortable with the water.

Suddenly the last part of Trip's sentence registered. Malcolm was touched that Trip had bothered to research things the armory officer might be interested in. "That sounds good."

Tucker had finished hanging his shirts and stuffed his hands awkwardly into his pockets. "Mal?"

Malcolm tensed a little. Something in Trip's look put all his defenses on alert. What was Trip going to ask?

"Yeah?" he asked nervously.

"I was just wondering. I know you don't like the water, but I was thinking that maybe if I was with you and you tried a little swimming in the hotel pool or the ocean you might get a little more comfortable with it." Tucker looked at Reed intensely. "I don't mean that you should try to go diving with me. I just thought you might like to try to deal with your fear of water in a relaxed environment."

Malcolm stared at his friend's face. Trip was smiling in a cute, boyish way that made Reed want to say "yes" to him, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry, Trip. I don't think I can try to learn to deal with the water. I tried, but…" He trailed off, caught in a memory.

Tucker's hand on his shoulder broke him from his reverie. "Mal? Hey, Mal!"

Malcolm looked up, trying to snap himself back to the present. Trip's forehead was wrinkled with concern. "Would you like to talk about it?"

"Huh?" Malcolm was confused for a moment. "Oh, well, no, I'm fine." He was trying for his usual stiff upper lip attitude, but for some reason he felt an intense desire to share his feelings with Trip. Tucker picked up on his hesitation.

"C'mon, Mal," Trip encouraged. "You know you can tell me."

Malcolm sat down on the end of Trip's bed and waited as Trip pulled a chair over and sat down himself.

"Something," he paused, still unsure about baring his soul to this man. Even though he cared about him. Especially because he cared about him. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "Well, something bad happened the last time I let someone try to teach me how to swim."

Tucker nodded. "What happened?"

Reed was trembling slightly as the memory washed over him. "I was eight years old. My family was on vacation and staying at a hotel that had a pool. Madeline and my mum had gone off shopping. My father was determined that this time I would learn to swim. He took me down to the pool." Malcolm stopped, shaking his head.

Tucker got up and sat down next to him on the bed. He gently laid a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. "And then?" he asked softly.

"My father threw me into the deep end of the pool without much warning. I flailed, tried to swim, breathed in water, and began to sink towards the bottom. I was drowning." Malcolm dared to lean in to Trip's touch, seeking a reminder that he was in the present. "Finally, my father jumped in and pulled me out. I was terrified."

Trip nodded sympathetically. "And that's why you're afraid. I don't blame you."

"No, it was more than that!" Malcolm suddenly had to let it all out. "A few days later my father convinced me to try again. He said we'd work in shallower waters. Then he told me to jump into the pool and he said he'd catch me. I trusted him. I trusted him," Malcolm began to shake violently. "But he didn't catch me. He stepped back and I landed in the water. I thrashed around breathing in water. My father yanked me out of the water laughing, calling me stupid, and telling me if I'd just tried to stand up, the water would probably have been shallow enough for me to do so. I asked him why he hadn't caught me when he had told me he would. He smiled, he actually smiled, and said 'I lied.' I never tried to swim again and he never tried to teach me again."

Tucker pulled the trembling man close to him and held him. "Oh my god, Mal. I don't know how you can be so brave."

"Brave?" Malcolm whispered, his voice muffled since his face was pressed into Trip's shoulder. He could hear his father's voice screaming at him about his cowardice. His father was even convinced that Malcolm had joined Starfleet as a cowardly escape from the Navy. He didn't understand how Trip could see him as brave. "I never tried to overcome my fear. That's not very brave."

Trip shook his head. "If my father had ever betrayed me like that, I don't know if I could have had the guts to try to learn anything else. I'd always be scared of that kind of result. Listen; forget my idea about trying the water thing. Let's go to the war museum after lunch."

Malcolm felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Just the simple act of sharing the incident made it seem more bearable. And now he felt a determination to prove his father wrong. He knew he could trust Trip. Meeting Trip's gaze he stared for a moment at the engineer. "No, I want to learn. Let's go to the pool."

Tucker stared incredulously at him. "Mal, you don't need to do this to yourself. Let's just have lunch and relax. This is a vacation, not some time to battle old demons."

Reed visibly pulled himself together. "I'm serious, Trip. I want you to teach me to be comfortable in the water. I trust you."

Tears welled up in Trip's eyes. Confused, Malcolm frowned. He thought Trip would have been happy about his decision. "What's upsetting you?"

"I just can't believe you could trust me. How can you trust anyone if your own father wasn't there for you? I feel like I don't deserve your trust."

"Would you let me down like he did?"

"No, of course not. Never."

"Then I trust you. Let's go to the pool. I'm going to go get changed."

A short time later they entered the hotel swimming pool. At first Malcolm just stood in water up to his waist. "It's nice and warm," he commented to Trip. He was focusing on simple sensations to try to keep his anxiety at bay. This is the present, he reminded himself. There's no rush to be swimming. Just feel comfortable in the water.

"Why don't you come out a little further and try floating?" Tucker suggested.

"I don't really know how to float."

"That's okay. You just lay your self down in the water on your back and I'll hold you up. You'll be in water that you can stand in, so if you get scared you can just stand right back up."

Malcolm cautiously stepped further out until he reached Trip. "Relax. Lay back and pretend you're just lying down on a mattress. The water will support you. And I'll have my hand under you like this." Tucker placed his hand under the small of Reed's back and gently guided his friend to lie down. Malcolm was tense, but he finally relaxed enough to float. "I'm doing it!" he exclaimed.

After a little while, Trip said, "You're doing so well, if you'd like to try I can take my hand away and you can."

Malcolm panicked and stood up. "No!"

Trip nodded. "Okay. I promise I won't take my hand away until you say you're ready for it."

Malcolm slowly laid himself back down, reassured by Trip's hand. "I trust you, Trip."

Tucker nodded. "I know. That means the world to me, Mal." Slowly, he leant down and brushed his lips across Malcolm's. Surprised, Reed stood up. Trip held up his hands. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"Shh," Malcolm whispered, leaning towards Trip. This time he kissed Trip. After a momentary shock, Trip returned the kiss and pulled Malcolm towards him. As he felt Trip's arms wrap around him Malcolm decided that maybe water wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
